If you're using blue CHEP pallets in your operation, you might not realise that the white UK standard pallet sitting in our yard is exactly the same size. Same footprint. Same load rating. Same racking compatibility.
The difference isn't in the pallet. It's in who owns it — and what that costs you.
The Dimensions Are Identical
Let's clear this up immediately, because it's the question we get asked most:
CHEP pallet: 1200mm × 1000mm UK standard pallet: 1200mm × 1000mm
Same length. Same width. Same deck board layout. Same block configuration. They fit the same racking systems, the same vehicles, the same spaces on your warehouse floor.
The blue paint and the CHEP logo are branding. The pallet underneath is the same format that UK businesses have been using for decades.
What CHEP Actually Is
CHEP is a pallet pooling company. They own the pallets — you don't. When you use CHEP, you're renting their pallets on an ongoing basis.
Here's how it works: CHEP charges you an issue fee when pallets leave their depot, a daily hire rate for every day you hold them, and a transfer fee every time pallets move between CHEP accounts. When you're done, you're responsible for returning the same number of pallets you received.
If pallets go missing, get damaged beyond CHEP's acceptance criteria, or aren't returned in time, you pay for them. Those are called loss and damage charges — and for businesses with high throughput or less controlled supply chains, they add up quickly.
On top of that, there's the admin. CHEP accounts require pallet transfer notes every time pallets change hands. Someone has to manage the balance, reconcile the account, and chase returns from customers who've received your goods on CHEP pallets. For smaller businesses, that overhead is a real cost even if it doesn't show up on an invoice.
Why Owning Standard Pallets Is Better
You pay once. Buy a Grade B standard pallet from us and it's yours. No hire fees. No daily charges. No transfer fees. No loss and damage invoices. The upfront cost is the only cost.
No returns admin. When you send goods out on your own pallets, you can choose whether you want them back or not. You're not obligated to track every pallet through your supply chain and reconcile a pooling account. That's hours of admin back in your business.
No surprise charges. CHEP invoices can be difficult to predict, especially if your pallet flow is irregular or your customers aren't reliable at returning. With owned pallets, what you see is what you get.
Full flexibility. Your pallets, your rules. You can sell surplus stock, repair and reuse, or retire them when they've reached the end of their life. You're not locked into a system with conditions attached.
Same compatibility. Because the dimensions are identical, switching from CHEP to standard pallets doesn't require any changes to your racking, vehicles, or processes. It's a straight swap — just without the ongoing bill.
When CHEP Does Make Sense
To be fair, CHEP works well in specific situations. If you're a large manufacturer shipping goods to major retailers who require CHEP pallets as a condition of doing business, you don't have a choice. Some supermarket supply chains are built entirely around the CHEP system and won't accept alternatives.
But for the majority of businesses — warehouses, distributors, manufacturers without that specific retail requirement — the pooling model costs more than it saves. You're paying for convenience that, in practice, you're also managing yourself.
The Numbers Speak for Themselves
Consider a business holding 200 pallets at any given time on a CHEP account. When you factor in issue fees, daily hire, transfer costs, and occasional loss and damage charges, the annual cost can easily reach several thousand pounds — and that's before any admin time.
Buy 200 Grade B standard pallets outright and they're yours indefinitely. Repairable. Reusable. No account to manage, no reconciliation to run, no surprise invoices.
Over two or three years, the saving is significant. Over five years, it's not a close comparison.
We Stock Standard Pallets Ready to Go
We carry UK standard pallets (1200mm × 1000mm) in Grade A, B and C from our Portsmouth depot. They're the same size as a CHEP pallet and will drop straight into your existing operation.
If you're currently running on CHEP and want to explore what switching would look like — or you just need standard pallets for a new operation — give us a call or fill in the contact form. We'll give you a straight quote with no fluff.